List of All Articles with Tag 'n'

A Russian pilot fired two missiles towards an RAF surveillance plane after mistakenly believing he had permission to fire. Following the incident last September, Russia claimed it had been caused by a “technical malfunction” with the UK’s Ministry of Defence publicly accepting their explanation. However, intercepted communications reveal that one of the Russian pilots believed he had been given permission to target the aircraft following an ambiguous command from a Russian ground station. The two Russian SU-27 fighter jets had encountered the RAF plane, which was carrying a crew of up to 30 people, as it was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September. Three Western defence sources with knowledge of the incident have told the BBC that the two Russian pilots received words to the effect of “you have the target”. This prompted one of the pilots to release an air-to-air missile, which successfully launched but failed to strike its target. A row then broke out between the two Russian pilots, as the second did not believe they had been given permission to fire. However, a second missile was released but simply fell from the wing - suggesting the launch was aborted or the weapon malfunctioned. As the Rivet Joint is loaded with sensors to intercept communications, the RAF crew would have been able to listen in to the incident which could have resulted in their own deaths. After the Russian Ministry of Defence called it a “technical malfunction”, the UK government confirmed the incident had taken place. In a statement to MPs on 20 October, the former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace described it as a “potentially dangerous engagement”. However, he added: "We do not consider this incident to constitute a deliberate escalation on the part of the Russians, and our analysis concurs that it was due to a malfunction." An intelligence leak, published online by US airman Jack Teixera, revealed that the US miliary spoke of the incident as a “near shoot-down”. “The incident was far more serious than originally portrayed and could have amounted to an act of war,” the New York Times reported. The MoD has now told the BBC that “this incident is a stark reminder of the potential consequences of Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine.” Read More South Korea expresses 'concern and regret' over military cooperation talks between Kim and Putin What is a Storm Shadow cruise missile? Weapons, spy satellites and nuclear ambitions: what we learned from Putin’s summit with Kim Jong-un in Russia The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Benjamin Ackerman was convicted in a series of audacious burglaries that spanned from December 2016 to July 2018

South Africa hooker Malcolm Marx has been ruled out of the remainder of the Rugby World Cup with what the team described as a long-term knee injury

During a White House press briefing, Jacqui Heinrich asked why the $6 billion needed to be released in addition to the five Iranian prisoners

Taylor Swift won nine VMAs of the 11 categories she was nominated for, bringing her total to 23

The mere mention of Kanye West's name during the interview left the Rolling Stone reporter taken aback by the unexpected twist in the conversation

A Seattle police officer is under investigation after his body-worn camera captured a phone conversation following the death of a woman who was fatally struck by a police car in which the officer is laughing and says the victim "had limited value," according to the footage and a statement from the Seattle Police Department.

Former firearms executive Ryan Busse says he's seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Montana Governor Greg Gianforte in the 2024 election

By Muyu Xu SINGAPORE Appetite for Iranian crude is growing in China, the world's biggest oil importer, after

SHANGHAI China's central bank is expected to boost liquidity while keeping the borrowing cost steady when rolling over

Anthony Davis's journey includes a remarkable growth spurt during high school, going from 6 feet to 6 feet 10 inches

A clip of Matt Wilkinson was uploaded to social media, where he could be seen sneakily clicking pictures of the royal couple at the Invictus Games